Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen heroes die or move on, and stories are being told in multiple mediums… but amid all that change, there is one thing that fans can always rely on: there will always be big upcoming Marvel movies on the way. Summer tentpoles are the franchise’s bread and butter (when looking at the Marvel movies ranked, they admittedly range from the great to the not-so-good) and we always know what projects are coming and when years in advance.
If you are one of those aforementioned Marvel Cinematic Universe fans and ever curious about what is on the way, you are definitely in the right place. Our Marvel Movies In Order timeline looks at the franchise’s past, but this feature is designed to keep track of the future. And if you have a Disney+ subscription and are curious about what’s coming on the streaming front, also be sure to check out our Upcoming Marvel TV guide.
Marvel Phase 6
Spider-Man: Brand New Day - July 24, 2026
July 24, 2026 |
|
Confirmed Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cast Members |
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Mando |
Director |
Destin Daniel Cretton |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home |
Why Spider-Man: Brand New Day Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: This one doesn’t really need explanation, does it? Spider-Man is a beloved lynchpin character in the history of Marvel, and while his connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is different than just about every other character in the canon (due to movie rights belonging to Sony Pictures), he will be a vital piece in the big picture for as long as the major studios can agree to contracted terms.
The Backstory: In the wake of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland's Peter Parker is in real trouble. Having made mistakes while messing with the multiverse, he now lives in a reality where everyone he has ever known and cared about has wholly forgotten about him – and it seems that he plans to keep it that way for a while as a means of protecting them from his life as Spider-Man. Exactly what the future holds for the character is unclear, but at the very least what we do know is that his adventures will continue on the big screen.
We don't know exactly what the story will be about, but we do know that the wall-crawler will be encountering a number of notable MCU characters, including Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, and the return of Michael Mando as Frank Gargan (will we finally get to see him become Scorpion?)
Avengers: Doomsday - December 18, 2026
Avengers: Doomsday Release Date |
December 18, 2026 |
Confirmed Avengers: Doomsday Cast Members |
Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Kelsey Grammer, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Robert Downey Jr. |
Directors |
Joe and Anthony Russo |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Every movie and TV show since Spider-Man: No Way Home |
Why Avengers: Doomsday Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: If a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie has “Avengers” in the title, you know it’s important. From the beginning, the blockbusters in the Avengers intra-franchise series have all been essential capstone projects that answer big picture questions and merge multiple established storylines. We don’t know exactly how that will be unfolding in Avengers: Doomsday, but there is every expectation that it will.
The Backstory: Marvel Studios spent years setting up Jonathan Majors’ Kang The Conqueror as the next Thanos-level big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that plan went straight to hell in 2023 due to legal issues and a conviction that led Marvel Studios to terminate the actor’s franchise contract. Because of that situation, the plans for the next Avengers movie have changed dramatically: what was originally going to be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has now become Avengers: Doomsday.
This big change was made official at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, where it was not only confirmed that Joe and Anthony Russo will direct the film, but that the role of Victor von Doom will be played by Robert Downey Jr. – who will be making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the death of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. It has not been confirmed whether or not there will be a specific connection between Stark and Doom – but it has inspired a great deal of fan speculation.
The full cast of the film was premiered in a special livestream when Avengers: Doomsday went into production in March 2025.
Avengers: Secret Wars - December 17, 2027
Avengers: Secret Wars Release Date |
December 17, 2027 |
Confirmed Avengers: Secret Wars Cast Members |
Robert Downey Jr. (Victor von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom) |
Directors |
Joe and Anthony Russo |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Every movie and TV show since Spider-Man: No Way Home |
Why Avengers: Secret Wars Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: Expectations are obviously super high for Avengers: Doomsday and its impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but you can basically double those expectations for Avengers: Secret Wars. Exciting as the introduction of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom might be, that’s nothing compared to a film named after two of the most impactful crossover events in the history of Marvel Comics. There is a very real chance that the blockbuster ends up rewriting the entire franchise.
The Backstory: Next to nothing is known about the plans for the movie plot-wise, but Michael Waldron (Loki Season 1, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness) has been hired to pen the screenplay, and there is expectation that the project will take inspiration from the two comic book events series of the same name.
Unscheduled Marvel Projects
Below are the upcoming Marvel movies that are expected at some point, but do not have a release date.
Blade
N/A |
|
Confirmed Blade Cast Members |
Mahershala Ali (Blade) and Mia Goth |
Director |
N/A |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Eternals |
Why Blade Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: Monsters and horror have been a key part of Marvel’s history from the beginning, but they have thus far been relegated to the small screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with projects like Werewolf By Night and Agatha All Along. Blade will not only be the first blockbuster in the canon to feature creatures of the night, but it’s also been said that it will be the second R-rated MCU movie after the ultra-successful Deadpool & Wolverine.
The Backstory: How hard is it to make a movie about a half-vampire who dedicates his life to ridding the world of vampires? Apparently it’s pretty damn hard.It was first announced that Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would be playing the lead character in a solo Blade movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe all the way back in 2019, and the character made a voice-only cameo in the end credits of Eternals, but there have been a number of behind-the-scenes shakeups that have slowed development of a solo feature for the character.
The MCU Blade movie was originally put in the hands of director Basam Tariq in July 2021, but he departed the project in September 2022 just as production was gearing up. Yann Damange came aboard in November 2022… but he reportedly lost the gig in June 2024. The would-be R-rated blockbuster does not currently have a director attached, and while Blade had a scheduled November 2025 release date at one point, the project has since been taken off the calendar.
X-Men
X-Men Movie Release Date |
N/A |
Confirmed X-Men Cast Members |
N/A |
Director |
Jake Schreier |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Deadpool & Wolverine (?) |
Why X-Men Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: As noted earlier, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has long felt incomplete because rights issues prevented the use of historically significant characters, but that sad era ended with the Disney/Fox merger, and the future is now bright for upcoming X-Men projects. Technically speaking, Deadpool & Wolverine was the first MCU title to put a primary focus on classic mutant characters, but it still retained firm links to the X-Men movie timeline. This film – whatever form it will eventually take – will presumably establish the MCU versions of the classic X-Men.
The Backstory: Despite what happens at the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, the X-Men franchise that existed for two decades has ostensibly ended (2000-2021), and fans worldwide are over-the-top excited for their chance to finally see the legendary mutant characters make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The hitch is that introducing mutants to the expansive franchise is no small undertaking... so Marvel Studios is playing things smart by not rushing things.
Like with the Fantastic Four, Kevin Feige first name-dropped "the mutants" during the Marvel Studios Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, but he didn't offer any actual information regarding when we'll get to see them. We have seen developments involving mutants in key blockbusters and TV shows, but the X-Men do not yet exist in the MCU. Deadpool & Wolverine features a number of mutant characters, Kelsey Grammer's Beast appeared in The Marvels, and Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and it's been confirmed that a number of mutant heroes and villains will be featured in Avengers: Doomsday.
Shang-Chi 2
Shang-Chi 2 Release Date |
N/A |
Confirmed Shang-Chi 2 Cast Members |
Simu Liu |
Director |
Destin Daniel Cretton |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings |
Why Shang-Chi 2 Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: There have been a lot of sequels in the post-Avengers: Endgame era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but none of them have been for the original films that have premiered since the start of Phase 4. We still don’t know if we’re going to get a Black Widow 2 or an Eternals 2, but we do at least know that Shang-Chi is coming back for another adventure.
The Backstory: At the very end of Destin Daniel Cretton's Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, there is a message that announces that the titular criminal organization would be making a return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – but there was no such affirmative declaration regarding the hero played by Simu Liu. The lack of news about a sequel continued for weeks after the film turned out to be a big box office hit, but finally things changed in December 2021. It was officially announced that Shang-Chi 2 is in the works, and Daniel Cretton will once again be back at the helm.
What we don't know right now is a) when the sequel will actually be made, or b) what it will be about. It seems fair to assume that Shang-Chi 2 will not only see the return of Simu Liu as the eponymous master of kung-fu, but also Awkwafina as his number one pal, Katy. Hopefully more information about the upcoming Marvel movie will be announced soon.
Armor Wars
Armor Wars Release Date |
N/A |
Confirmed Armor Wars Cast Members |
Don Cheadle (James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine) |
Director |
N/A |
What To Watch To Prepare |
Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Secret Invasion |
Why Armor Wars Is Important For The Future Of The MCU: Since the death of Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t put much focus on his particular corner of the world (the exception being Spider-Man: Far From Home). Armor Wars is the way back into the world of Stark Technologies, this time with Don Cheadle as the lead.
The Backstory: In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced a plethora of shows that were being made as Disney+ exclusives, and among the titles revealed was Armor Wars: a limited series that would feature Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine trying to stop the proliferation of Tony Stark's proprietary Iron Man technology. The studio hired Yassir Lester as head writer on the project in August 2021, and its continued development was confirmed at D23 Expo 2022... but then everything changed in September 2022. Instead of being a show, Armor Wars is now being made as a movie.
Yassir Lester is still attached to the project, but will obviously now be writing a screenplay instead of orchestrating teleplays for a six-episode series. There is presently no director attached, and, as you can tell by the fact that it is in this section of this feature, it doesn't have a release date. Since the project changed mediums, Marvel Studios hasn't provided any updates about its development – plus it was revealed in Secret Invasion that the guy we thought was James Rhodes for years was actually a Skrull in disguise.
And that covers all of the upcoming Marvel movies lined up for the future. Now let's take a look back at the previous phases of the MCU...
Past Marvel Releases
Marvel Phase 1
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Marvel Phase 2
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Marvel Phase 3
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Marvel Phase 4
Black Widow (2021)
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Marvel Phase 5
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
The Marvels (2023)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Thunderbolts* (2025)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
With new Marvel movies always being announced and release dates shifting around, we will continue to update this feature, and as always, stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest news about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
